So... when I first started with yarn (last year), I didn't know about the end sticking out of the middle of the skein or ball. Obviously, I pulled it from the outside and watched my skein roll around the room as I made things, or in one case, stuck the skein in my shirt and crocheted while walking around at a party. An experienced knitter friend suggested that I pull the yarn from the centre of the skein to avoid having my yarn running all over the place, and since my early projects were mostly small hats or from small balls, it all worked out beautifully.

Nowadays, my projects are bigger: longer, wider scarves, ponchos, and the like. I find that once I've used a certain amount of the yarn from the centre of the skein, no amount of kindness will stop the skein from becoming a tangled mess that can't be fixed without cutting the yarn, untangling, and re-joining.

Is it true that pulling from the centre of the skein really isn't a good idea, or am I doing something wrong?

Nah, you aren't doing anything wrong. You've discovered that infamous thing called "yarn puke". Where you pull from the center of the ball or skein (like it's supposedly designed to) and a huge knot of puke rolls out.

Yer sitten there for hours on end when you could be stitchen to unravel and reroll that monstrosity. Being careful all the while, to not pull it too tight so that it doesn't knot up into a knot a boyscout could be proud of.

It takes years, dahlin, years, to learn how to unsnarl that tangle of yarn sketti into something even resembling a ball of workable stuff.

But, you do get good at it after battling with skeins n skeins of the stuff and it just becomes second nature. If it's one of them there fancy schmancy yarns, I would just roll it into a ball the minute it comes outta the bag from the LYS. No one needs to be punished by trying to reroll mohair yarn puke. If it's one of them mondo huge arse skeins from like caron or red heart, ummm stick it in a ziplock baggy that's big enough to hold it, zip almost shut (here I would either staple or tape it to hold) and let the little bugger roll around to it's hearts content inside the baggy.

If you mean towards the end when the weight of the skein isn't enough to let the yarn pull out and the ball collapses, at that point I take a break and pull all the yarn out of it and put it into a pile (it takes pulling the yarn out and then repeating the process to start another pile with the end at the bottom of the pile and your work at the top). If you don't disturb the pile it won't tangle. If you will want to move the pile simply make that second pile in a large bowl.

My sister told me about cutting out a 2 liter bottle. Put the skein in and thread the yarn out the spout. I never had a problem so I haven't tried it.
I've also seen it described as cutting the bottom off the bottle.

Quote:

Yarn Holder - Keep yarn from getting tangled when knitting or crocheting. Cut off bottom of bottle and insert yarn, pulling strand through top opening then tape bottom back on. This will keep your yarn from rolling across the room on you and your cat from playing with it.

I either wind it in a ball or a figure 8 butterfly, though I don't have a lot of problem with it tangling up at that point if it's just flat on the couch beside me.
There's a video for winding a ball at the bottom of this page - http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knitting-tips

Yarn puke!!!! LOL! That's pretty much what it is. I've gotten pretty good at dealing with yarn puke, actually - it's what happens after the skein collapses... so far, everyone's told me to take a break and re-wind the yarn. Hmm.

When I learn how to properly wind it, I may do that. I think I'll stick to the old plastic baggie trick for now - thanks everyone!